Bar Coding of Drugs May Prevent Medical Errors

The American Society of Health-System Pharmacists (ASHP) has urged the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to require drug manufacturers to print bar codes on all drug packages, in an effort to increase patient safety in hospitals and other health centers. ASHP is a member of the National Coordinating Council for Medication Error Reporting and Prevention.

The pharmacist association stressed the immediate need for regulations requiring standardized machine-readable code on all drug product containers, including single-dose medication packages used in hospitals. The association has concluded that manufacturers will not add codes without a federal mandate. In addition to reducing medical errors, bar coding would also improve the efficiency of drug product purchasing, storage, and distribution in hospitals, allowing more time for pharmacists to help counsel patients and monitor drug therapy regimens.

"We are talking about the last line of defense against making a dangerous medication error,” said Henri R. Manasse, Jr., Sc.D, executive vice president and CEO of ASHP. "When hospitals know that standardized bar coding will be required on medication packages, we believe that they will move quickly to have scanners ready at patients' bedsides.”




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